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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. season — in sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. current — happening now
  8. season — of the year
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — a contest
  12. snap — to click
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. game — a match
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. current — electric
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — in biology
  22. toast — bread
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com